Gunmen in the remote northeastern region of Afghanistan shot and killed 10 members of a medical team, police said Saturday.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred Thursday.

Among the dead were six Americans, two Afghans, a Briton, and a German, said Dirk Frans, director of International Assistance Mission. He said two other Afghans on the team are alive.

The gunmen stopped the victims on a road, took their belongings and shot them one by one, said Aqa Nwor Kentoz, police chief of northern Badakhshan province. An Afghan was released because he was reciting excerpts from the Quran, Kentoz said.

The foreigners were believed to have been doctors, according to the police chief.

The mission - a non-governmental organization - has provided a number of services, including eye care and internal medicine for decades. Frans said the people were killed in what police said was a robbery.

The website said an eye-care team had been in Nuristan province "at the invitation of communities there. After having completed their medical work the team was returning to Kabul."

Badakhshan, bordered by Tajikistan to the north and Pakistan to the south, is a sparsely populated region comprised of a majority Tajik population and an Uzbek and Kyrgyz minority. Badakhshan was the only province that was not controlled by the Taliban when it ruled Afghanistan.

This tragedy negatively impacts our ability to continue serving the Afghan people," said an online statement about the organization's work in Afghanistan since 1966. "We hope it will not stop our work that benefits over a quarter of a million Afghans each year."

In Afghanistan's southern Helamnd province, international and Afghan forces killed 14 insurgents in an exchange of fire, said NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). In a separate bombing incident, two Afghans were killed and five others wounded near Heyderabad, in Helmand province.

Also Saturday, ISAF reported the deaths of two international service members in a bombing in southern Afghanistan. Their nationalities were not yet disclosed.

soundoff(81 Responses)

kai

I'm still shocked! Words can't describe how angry I am. I met one of the victims at the conference I attended last year in San Francisco, all he wanted was to help the people in Afghanistan, may them rest in peace!

Taliban Tally Tally Ho? NATO and Allah have joined forces to BURN & DROWN the Taliban and their Muslim supporters in Afghansitan and Pakistan?

First, learn how to spell the name of what's supposed to be your own country. It's Afghanistan or أفغانستا, not Afghansitan. "Afghansitan" is probably someplace just the other side of Mordor.

Second, you really have absolutely no idea what the fight is about, do you. It's certainly not about your Islam, because only an idiot would cut off his own nose to spite his face (or her face, not to mention her ears). Perhaps it's physiological in nature, this will of yours, brought on by a diet too lean in pork? Or maybe it's some sort of utterly strange complex brought on by the notion that you think your own god is against you in a self-fulfilling way. You aren't infidels, are you?

Third and last let's have a look at that list you provided, you know the one, your so-called "Tally Tally Ho." After removing actual Taliban and their families (like father, like son, eh?) killed by whomever during the specified period of time, as well as by acts of God, here's what you can actually attribute to your (the Taliban's) "heroic" efforts:

I added "heroic" because killing people by using IEDs is anything but. And the use of suicide bombers has me totally confused, but it certainly must have you more confused, because of your relationship with your Allah. What do these suicide bombers utter when they pull the pin or press the trigger? Certainly not "Allah Akhbar?" If anything for doing so, Allah's going to send you straight to hell, in a do not pass Go or Payday sort of fashion. No seven virgins, no happy meals, just fire and brimstone.

Anyway, this is all getting so tedious and trying, so I'd like to make a proposal. Find your best hand-to-hand combat fighter, and we'll do the same. Stop the war for a moment, build an arena, and have the two of them go at it with all spoils going to the victor. You win and we'll leave, and you can go back to cutting off your nose to spite your face without interference from us. We win, and all of the madness comes to an immediate, permanent halt. Sound like a plan?

Oh, one more thing: if you agree to this arrangement, we'd like rights to all the vendor stands at the event. Hotdogs and beer, chips and cold soda. If anyone's going to make a killing because of this war, we'd certainly like it to be us.

“Taliban execute woman in public” Real or rhetorical propaganda?
.The news report released under the headline “Taliban execute women in public” featured the breaking news of Monday, August 09, 2010, published and given a tremendous coverage by a number of major media outlets.

To be frank, such media outlets have nothing to do with the use of rhetorical techniques or inspirational propaganda in the news,

what they really have to do is to pin anything on Taliban that can defame them and tarnish the Mujahideen movement, no matter they have to overstep the bounds of media ethics and go far, far beyond.

Indeed, there are some technical flaws and lack of balance in what they have reported in the news about the stated women that we want to pinpoint before we confirm the truth of the news report.

“Taliban execute woman in public” this is to say (Qisas). And Qisas (execution) is an Islamic term meaning retaliatory punishment of a murderer, whereas the term does not refer to adultery. Take for example Ahmad, who killed Mahmood deliberately or unjustly, in such case, the Islamic jurisprudence carry out Qisas (execution).

Without the media weighing the scientific accuracy and determining the truth of the news report, it has used the term execution, some reports even said she was lashed 100 times and shot in her heart, the others said she was lashed 200 times and shot three times in the head, which are all nothing but mere propaganda and are against the professionalism and media ethics.

In the light of Islamic law, the stoning and lashings are carried out under certain cases, when a man and a woman are convicted of aduletory. When an unmarried male commits adultery with an unmarried female, they should be lashed. In case of a married male committing adultary with a married female, they should be stoned.

According to some media reports, saying that a 40-year-old pregnant widow was lashed and shot dead in public is an unusual and preposterous event of its kind, a novelty in the history Islamic law which has never been heard of.

If, according to some news reports, she was a widow, then she was married who should have been stoned not lashed and shot, in accordance with Islamic Sharia. Let say, she was unmarried, according to Islamic law, she should have only been lashed 100 times rather than 200 times and shooting with a gun.

To put it bluntly, such courts as previously ordered to cut off Aish’s nose and ears in Uruzgan province and this time decided that a 40-yea-old woman should be flogged and shot instead of stoning in Badghis province are rarity and can only be created and operated by the US and the its media which is in the US’ payroll to defame Mujahideen.

However, the media outlets are reminded to observe their code of neutrality and should not be bent on tarnishing their good name.

Is the Taliban really responsible for these killings? Perhaps we will not know. We really do not know if they have even claimed responsibility as it has been reported, but we trust a news organization to bring us verified factual truth.

Jesus' greatest truth in regards to this debate: spoken when inquirers were asking who to blame for the collapse of a tower resulting the death of a number people.

"Unless you repent you will all die in your sins."

What are your sins? Repent and you will not be held guilty for them. Do not repent and you hold them to your peril and carry them to your grave.

Jesus Christ knew about danger. He told us to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." These poor victims were not wise. We have to adapt to realities that aren't so new any more. Humanitarian missions should always stay in one secure location. The needy should go there, not dummies to the needy. If needy are killed en route to the mission, it only hurts the cause of the murderers, e.g. bad PR for them. Duh!

All that education and no common sense, this should be a lesson to all aid workers and Doctors. This race of animals do not deserve any help what so ever. I can't kill these dogs quick enough so stop helping them. It won't matter, once I have them sighted in at 1000 meters with my .50 cal they just splat and fall down. Oh well tough $**t next case. When are we as Americans realize these animals need to be eliminated and not helped????? What a waste!!! GOD, I wish I could have these Talibani dogs in my sights when this was going down!!!!

So what if they were carrying Bibles! so what if Afghans wants to convert to Christianity, so what if Afghans wish they don't want to be part of Islam anymore the more reason why we are there, Afghans have no freedom even to choose which religion they wish to be part of.

For me there are some questions to be asked. 1. Were these doctors really doctors? 2. How long had the 10 been "in country". 3. Were they "registered" and known in Afganistan, as their group says? 4. Where they armed, and if so why? 5. Why, as we are told, that 2 Afgans. were allowed to leave? 6. Did the Taliban actually do this, or was it some other radicals acting on their own, and the Taliban just trying to get attention? Now you could contnue to ask many more questions but are they really justified? Just heard on the news that this group was actually on foot, going into the mountains, to provide medical care? Stupidity or something else?

It does not take a lot of effort to find out. "Dr Abdullah dismissed the Taliban's claims as "ridiculous".
He said he had trained with the medical team's leader, Tom Little, an optometrist from New York who had lived and worked in the country since the 1970s." Source BBC.

CanUfixit I fundamentally agree, but by one side we have false interpretation of every religion you mentioned wich I have all studied and appreciated in their orthodoxy doctrin and consider all equally godd at the origin. On the other side we have non religious people who want only make money without respect for the life.

Listening to these comments from pro-Moslems, Pro-Christians and other religions. Religion is the opium of the masses. If your religious beliefs are teaching you to steal, murder, torture, abuse the weaker gender, and breeds hatred and constant deception; you need to revise it in your mind & souls, be a non-conformist. All will be judged, you won't be able to say somene else made U do it. To thine own self be true.These health workers were murdered by murderers.

Stupid F***ing Haji ragheads. We try to help you and this is how we are paid back? simple solution nuke them all and let god sort them out. We should not lose anymore american lives. And After we kill the Taliban all we need to do is kill these stupid teabaggers!!!!!

If Christian verses spewed around me are not seen nor perceived to have been uttered as a curse or urge to cause me or loved ones harm then I personally do not care. Others are far less tolerant however. Do I think shooting a bible thumper is extreme? Yes, but I don't carry a machine gun either. Virtually all Christian US Military clergy urges their followers to go out and murder a rag-head, blast those Ayatollahs and get some. I do not see any discernible difference from what Military Chaplin's tell the troops to do to 'the enemy's'.

The lines have indeed become blurred over the crass US Military's broad description of 'The Taliban' which undoubtedly now consists of many angry Afghanistan people whose children and wives were murdered by American and NATO soldiers either on purpose or by faulty information. The corruption within the 'shake and bake' Karzai government's regional branches appears to be so extreme, the village and city residents overwhelming chose the Taliban as being less 'corrupt'. Yes, I fully agree, any groups of bandits or even misdeeds by an American or NATO platoon is going to be blamed on 'The Taliban'.

While the majority of Afghanistan people are largely uneducated, many of them are fully aware of America's co-creation with Pakistan to produce Al Qaeda and 'The Taliban' in the 1980's to fight the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. 30 Years of Afghanistan women, children and men being blown up, harassed, tortured and merely surviving because of America's involvement in that region, right or wrong the Afghanistan people are largely becoming less than tolerant of anyone they see as being a occupier and a outsider.

How dare you to use my name like this in order to tear down someone's religion!You right-wing nuts will stop at nothing to stir up hatred against Islam! Including this latest farce.Have you no shame at all???

I really wish Indian RAW (intelligence agency) is smart and powerful. If that's the case, there would have been no Pakistan by now :p.

And it's not only Pakistan, its every Islamic nation that thinks that the whole world is against them. Someone else in these forums asked a good question: What do these Islamic countries have that the whole world is bent on destroying them and occupying their land? They got no money, no technology, no innovation, no industry (oil?), no fertile land, nothing to preserve, people not worth spending money on, totally dependent on the western world for survival.. I mean no one wants anything from them. Why do they think that everyone else is hell bent on destroying them? When other countries are reaching for moon and looking outside, they are still in their box lingering around their caves. It's like they have issues with everyone and everything. They would have been far better if they invested all their energy in development instead of thinking how to destroy. Quite unfortunate.

Nevertheless islamic countries has been occupied in the last 200 years and recently Iran was attacked by Saddam with the help of USA, later USA promoted 2 wars against Iraq and another against Afghanistan. They are preparing to do something versus Pakistan and Iran also. Oil is a clear reason why there is so much "interest" versus the islamic countries.

I hope that India and Pakistan canreach an accord about Kashmir. Muslim and Hindu traditions are both valuable as they are the oldest and the latest in time, and both are very tolerant. I see the real risk in Nu con : they are completely false christians.

Had the Communists won this war 30 years ago,these people wouldn't just still be alive,they'd be welcome with open arms and doing what they love to do.It just proves how ignorant these right-wing fools can be by fighting the Communists.Besides,those two buddhist statues,built in the third century A.D. would still be standing today.

"If Jesus condemned it and any one called it truth" – really did not understand it. Please explain more.

Why do you guys hate everyone else? Why do you guys have issues with everyone around the world? You guys don't have money, don't have good land, most of the islamic countries are poor and are dependent on the our world for their survival... why do you think that the whole world is against you?

It is very sad. General Petraeus should take step to REDUCE/ELIMINATE American soldiers dying or getting injured. Like in manufacturing industry when we loose product we make the Manager responsible for the loss. In military we should make the local Commanders responsible for the loss of soldiers. If number goes up ,we should replace, fire or transfer those commanders. They should do more intelligence work brfore making any engagement-THAT IS NOT HAPPENING. WE MUST STOP LOOSING OUR SOLDIERS. WE MUST TAKE ACTION NOW . OUR SOLDIERS ARE AT HIGH RISK WHICH CAN BE PREVENTED!!!!

It's quite a pathetic and lame attempt to blame this on someone else. You are probably one of those lunatics who says 911 is an inside job. I pity you and your kind. May your lord really have mercy on your soul. Peace </3.

I guess the real Yacobi is right. You guys really should have come from a concubine. That explains you trying to confuse people with your contradicting statements. You are the ones who live among us, learn our life style and then go back to your diaper head ways of terrorizing people. Isn't he one of those guys they are talking about now on news?

Islam is clearly NOT a religion of peace. And these particular Taliban followers of Islam are also apparently insane. Why would you kill a group of people who had sacrificed a much more comfortable existence to care for your countrymen? Even if this medical team was sharing their faith, this is in no way a reason to kill them, unless of course you subscribe to some of the proclamations of the Koran that apparently require this level of barbarity.

When will these Taliban barbarians ever learn what it means to be civilized?

I agree, just a cold blooded massacre for no reason whatsoever. These people dedicated their time and personal lives to help the poor and needy. These Taliban idiots don,t even know what there own religious doctrine is about. It seems they want to blame the world for the mess they are self creating and living in. They need to reach out to the world. Could you imagine the talk that goes on in these so called religious meetings!! My heart goes out to all their countless innocent murdered people and their grieving families. History seems to keep repeating itself. Can we ever fix it?

The Taliban are COWARDS. There is no justification for killing members of a medical team that were there to help. I hope your God is a forgiving God, because you'll need it you COWARDS. Taliban = COWARDS.

Andrew Lubin: How do you know that its not Taliban that did it? How do you know that all the so called "atrocities" committed by NATO forces are real? Why can't they be a part of a propaganda machine? Did you ever ask that question? Don't give me all the crap with your so called "smart" questions. It just proves how subservient, impotent and dumb you are.

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Afghanistan Crossroads is where CNN's reporting converges -- bringing you a diversity of voices, stunning images and video, global perspectives and the latest news from on the ground in Afghanistan and around the world.